b'gold standardadding new spaces to create an integrated campus to house SITs programmes for film, animation, game design, fashion and music.ThankstoSITadministrationsimaginationandMcCulloch Architects considered design, Te Rau o Te Huia has found higher existence as a handsome marriage of old and new. Their approach was to make a clear distinction between the new contemporary elements and the historic church while designing the new portions of the build in a complementary style to link them together into a cohesive, integrated campus. This was achieved through roof forms and decorative elements, as well as colours and finishes. St Johns Church faced an uncertain future, so to be able to learning adaptively reuse and integrate this wonderful building into the heart of a modern, vibrant facility has made it a special project for the entire design and contract team, says Brent Knight, A historic church finds new purpose Director at McCulloch Architects. The original church was built in stages between the 1880s and 1930s and forms the heart of within a creative Invercargill campus. the campus. It was perfectly suited as a multipurpose space and has now been fitted-out with freestanding teaching pods that F or a few years now, the number of religious congregationsserve multiple functions, such as learning and exhibition spaces. in the Western world has been on a steady decline, muchThese are also used to house mechanical services and electronic like many other gatherings. As some denominations haveservices and are clad in acoustic sound-absorbing surfaces.begunconsolidatingtheirworshippersandputtingunderusedOne of the standout details is the new contemporary stained-facilities on the market for sale, the phenomenon has given rise toglass window installed in the former church, which was designed an interesting predicament: former church buildings have becometo suit existing stained glass while representing the structures increasingly easy to come byand, perhaps, sometimes too easy.new educational use. The new seismic strengthening elements Churchbuildingdesignsrunthegamutfromhumbletoare also noticeable due to their high-contrast colour. Exposed ostentatious, and it is all too common now for these projects toandarticulatedwithintheformerchurchsinterior,theyare fall into disrepair in the face of rising upkeep costs and dwindlingabove and left: To distinguish new from old, a single dark colour for exposedResene easily identifiable through their dark huepainted in Resene donations. The unlucky ones, no matter how beautiful they maystructural steelworkResene Nerowas used throughout the campus, includingBlack White Uracryl 403 tinted to Resene Nero to match the structural steel be, become victims of the bulldozer. But when the right buyerthe seismic strengthening in the church interior. The structural steel is undercoatedin the new buildings. New architectural lighting has also been isarmedwithcreativevisionandadequatefinancing,somewith Carboguard 635 from Altex Coatings (part of the Resene Group). This all- incorporated to enhance historic details both inside and out.purpose epoxy coating has a variety of attributes that made it particularly suitable for the churches are finding adaptive reuse as homes, concert venues,project, including low temperature cure, surface tolerance, fast recoat times, moistureWrapping around the east and north of the church is a new restaurants, hotels, commercial office spaces and more. Whentolerance during application and curing, as well as excellent corrosion protection. TheResene teaching block. This contains computer labs, specialist teaching the former church building in question is historically protected,topcoat is in Resene Uracryl 403 gloss. Walls and ceiling painted in Resene SpaceCoteColorwood spaces such as a green-screen room, stop-motion lab, public caf an adaptive reuse project can be tricky; but the ones that see itLow Sheen tinted to Resene Black White, timber stained in Resene Colorwood Natural Natural and coworking space for former students, visiting lecturers and through, and do it well, ensure these structures find a whole newand sealed in Resene Aquaclear satin.industry partners, says Brent. These spaces are open, bright and way to serve their community. opposite: The Te Rau o Te Huia campus connects the past and the future,light-filled. A full-height atrium links the whole campus together, The idea for a new campus to house the Southern Institute ofproviding a vibrant new environment for the students of SIT and preserving andResene connecting all floors vertically and forming a north to south public Technologys (SIT) Centre for Creative Industries, Te Rau o Te Huia,celebrating the heritage of Invercargill and Southland for future generations. Nero street. This pathway flows right through the site, encouraging was conceived when SIT acquired the historic St Johns Church inThe complex contains six sound-proof studios, DJ booths, editing rooms, a grouppublic access to the ground floor and linking SITs main campus the heart of Invercargill. The propertys Tay Street location was idealpractice room and a green-screen room as well as a caf thats open to the public.with the public park and the inner-city precinct to the north.for its adjacency to the main SIT campus, but at 140-years-old,The upper floors contain computer labs outfitted with the latest technology. MainThe new building is steel framed with precast and structural walls, bulkheads and ceiling painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen tinted toReseneadapting the Category I listed building wasnt without its challenges.Resene Black White, yellow feature walls in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen tintedBird Flower glazed elements, but its architectural flair is far from the standard Theprojectinvolvedupgradingandstrengtheningaswellasto Resene Bird Flower and structural steel in Resene Uracryl 403 in Resene Nero. square box approach many contemporary structures tend to take 14 blackwhitemag.com blackwhitemag.com 15'